As the Cubs continue to make roster cuts, there are plenty of players Craig Counsell and his coaching staff are looking to add to the 26-man or send to the minors to start the season.

For one of those players, it’s the 2024 Rule 5 Draft pick Gage Workman, whom the Cubs selected from the Detroit Tigers in December.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell spoke to the media Monday morning from Mesa, Ariz. and gave high praise for the Rule 5 pick and how he’s taken advantage of his opportunities this spring.

“I think he’s probably in the toughest situation of anybody coming into camp. It’s a brand new organization, you know what the Rule 5 pick means, and I think he’s handled it with a lot of maturity,” Counsell said. “That’s led to really good performance and just really letting who Gage Workman is kind of shine – and that’s a left-handed bat with some power, good plate discipline and a good defender. And he’s shown all three of those things, which is really hard to do in a small sample.”

Workman has made an impression in spring training, batting .364/.423/.682 with 2 homers and 8 RBI in 9 games thus far and his defense has been solid for the Cubs.

As the team stands, there are currently 53 players left on the spring roster. Tough decisions lay ahead for Counsell and the Cubs as they look to trim his roster before the start of the regular season.

As a Rule 5 pick, the Cubs must keep Workman on the 26-man roster all season or else return him back to the Tigers. He is competing with several other players in camp for a bench spot on the Opening Day roster, including Vidal Bruján, Nicky Lopez and prospect Matt Shaw.

The Cubs signed veterans Justin Turner and Jon Berti to fill utility roles on the bench and the team will have two catchers (Miguel Amaya, Carson Kelly). That leaves three spots available on he 26-man roster ahead of the Tokyo Series with Nico Hoerner injured and not expected to make the trip to Japan.

Whether Workman makes the 26-man or not, he has made quite an impression on the coaching staff.